Good Agricultural Practices for Pre-Harvest and Post-Harvest Management in Lemon
INTRODUCTION TO LEMON
Lemon is a tree fruit, which belongs to the citrus family. Related to oranges, tangerines, grapefruit, apples, and some others. The lemon tree can measure up to 6 meters in height, its leaves are shiny and the fruit is round-oval with a shiny skin texture and small holes. Lemon's main characteristic is an intense acid flavor, and its versatility when it comes to wanting to consume it.
LEMON TAXONOMY
Kingdom: Plantae
Division: Magnoliophyta
Class: Magnoliopsida
Subclass: Rosidae
Order: Sapindales
Family: Rutaceae
Subfamily: Citroideae
Tribe: Citreae Genus Citrus
Species: C. × lemon
Lemon is a marvelous fruit, consumers are not only grateful for its flavor, it is also a fruit within everyone's reach at a very affordable price in the market. Lemon is also a carrier of many vitamins and healing properties. Among the vitamins that lemon gives us are: Vitamin B1 5%, B2 1%, B3 2%, B6 4%, B9 3%, C 64%, E 7%, phosphorus, iron, protein, bromine, iodine, calcium , magnesium, zinc, chlorine, nickel, potassium the most prominent.
Lemon provides us with many health benefits, for example: it is excellent at acting against colds, relieves migraines, detoxifies the body, cures bleeding gums, to name just a few of them.
The peculiar aroma of lemon makes it a very special and indispensable ingredient in the gastronomy of Mexico and around the world. The lemon is a fruit with a unique flavor, in fact its function is to flavor seafood, hot dishes, desserts, fresh waters or snacks. Without a doubt, cooking and daily life would not be the same without the presence of lemon in our diet.
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE LEMON CULTIVATION
Lemon cultivation is normally in the open field, although there is the option of growing it in a greenhouse.
The lemon is a fruit that is demanding in attention, maintenance and care, mainly in the irrigation factor.
In fact, lemon is a fruit that 92% of its composition is water. If the watering of the lemon is not sufficient, the fruit will be poor in terms of amount of juice, a factor that is a determining factor to be rejected by the consumer. To give lemons, the tree takes between 4 and 12 months from the first flowering to be able to think about the harvest.
The producer relies on the weather to know when it is time to harvest or on its physical characteristics. The lemon should show signs of maturity and a thickness of approximately ¼ inch (6.4mm), these being practically the main signs that it is time to separate the lemons from the tree.
MAIN VARIETIES OF LEMON
There are numerous varieties of lemon in the world, the best known and the main ones are: Meyer, Colima, Eureka, Lisbon, Femminello, Interdonato, Verna, Fino, Verna, Villafranca, Primofiori, Genova. All kinds of lemon have their physical peculiarity and especially in flavor.
WORLD PRODUCTION AND MARKETS THAT CONSUME IT
The world produced 19,2 million tons of lemons in 2020. In the world production of lemons, India leads with almost 19% of the total volume, followed by Mexico with 15%, China with 14% and Argentina with 9%.
In 2020, India ranks first in the world with a production of 3,7 million tons, the second place in lemon production in the world is for Mexico with a production of 2,8 million tons. The third place is occupied by China with a production of 2,6 million tons and fourth place for Argentina with 1,8 million tons.
The demand for lemon in the world is large, because In every home there are lemons to consume. The industry also has a lot of participation with the lemon, they submit it to different processes to produce juices, soft drinks, oils, aromatic essences, sweets, flavorings and an endless number of uses that can be attached to the industrial process.
Main importers are United States with about 10.8% of the world imports, Germany with 9.3%, France with 7.86%, Russia with 7.56% and Netherlands with 6.81% of the total in 2021. Main exporters of lemon worldwide, are Spain, Mexico, the Netherlands, South Africa, and Turkey.
LEMON PRODUCTION IN MEXICO
The lemon in Mexico is a legacy, this rich fruit is produced throughout the country. In 2022 there was a total of 218,000 hectares cultivated with lemon and a total production of 3,2 million tons. The main states that register the highest amounts of lemon production in 2022 are Michoacán, Veracruz, Colima, and Oaxaca. Mexico exports a third of the total production of lemon, and its main customer is the United States. More than 85% of this exports corresponds to Persian lemon.
A 94% of the production of Mexican or sour lemon remains for consumption in the country, this variety is for local consumption and participates very little in exports.
The most common varieties of lemon in Mexico are: Mexican Lemon (51%), Persian Lemon (45%) and Italian Lemon (4%). The Mexican lemon is also known as Acid Lima, Gallega Lima, Sutil Lemon, Ceutí Lemon, and Colima Lemon.
AGRICULTURAL ASPECTS OF LEMON CULTIVATION
Temperature
The ideal temperature for good development and growth in lemon cultivation is a minimum of 10ºC and a maximum of 24ºC. Temperatures above 35ºC cause vegetative disorders in lemons and accelerate ripening, while temperatures below 10ºC directly affect the vegetative system.
Brightness
The luminosity in the lemon is a very important issue, since the best thing is that the sun's rays hit the tree directly, as long as it is in the range of the already marked temperature.
Floor
The lemon develops satisfactorily in a soil with a PH of 5.5 and 6.5 with a light texture, sandy, loamy, but also clayey, moderately deep, with a good drainage system and low in salts.
Water amount
The amount of water for the lemon should be abundant and match a good fertilizer. If the tree is less than 1 year old, the optimal amount of each irrigation will be 2 liters of water, if the tree is older than 1 year, the optimal amount is 4 liters and if the tree is an adult with more than 4 years, the amount of water It will be around 6 liters of water per irrigation.
MOST COMMON DISEASES OF LEMON CROP
Citrus nematodes: The problem that causes this disease is in the lemon directly (in the fruit), the size of the fruit becomes smaller, with less juice and the plant produces less. The tree becomes depressed, although it does not die. This disease starts from the root system, therefore it manifests itself physically once the root is already damaged.
Gummosis: This lemon disease manifests itself by rotting the tree, specifically the trunk and roots. The rotten area turns dark in color and dehydrates, the sap fails to drain from that area, and the tree dries up. The leaves of the lemon tree turn yellowish, change shape and look more pointed, the fruits are smaller and the shoots are very weak. The main cause of the spread of this disease in the lemon tree is due to excess moisture.
Alternária alternáta: This disease is fulminating, it creates necrosis in the leaves, the lemons have black spots and they fall from the tree already dead and unfit to be eaten. Exceeding in fertilizer makes the lemon tree vulnerable to suffering from this terrible disease.
USUAL WAYS OF PRESERVING LEMON
The most common technique for preserving lemons after cooling is waxing. In order to give the lemon greater shine and a better appearance to the consumer, the wax coating is applied. Although there are many varieties of waxes on the market, the intention is to prolong the expiration of the fruit, prevent weight loss and oxidation, achieving a much more preserved fruit.
In Mexico, the fruits that receive the most wax coverage are: peach, plum, apple, pear, banana, avocado, papaya, and pineapple. While the citrus fruits with the highest demand for wax application are: orange, grapefruit, lime and lemon.
Wax coatings help prolong shelf life, give a better appearance, improve the price of the fruit, reduce post-harvest losses, reduce the risk of cracks in the fruit, etc.
The vast majority of waxes contain natural antioxidants, and vegetable-based waxes contain more of these antioxidant substances. Definitely, the use of waxes combined with other agricultural management influences better results in the post-harvest process, providing truly favorable productions.